EP2989598A1

EP2989598A1 - System for mobile booking

Info

Publication number: EP2989598A1
Application number: EP14788954.7A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roope Petteri RANTALA
Original assignee: OnnibusCom Oy
Current assignee: OnnibusCom Oy
Priority date: 2013-04-25
Filing date: 2014-04-25
Publication date: 2016-03-02
Also published as: WO2014174157A1; EP2989598A4

Abstract

A system for mobile booking includes a mobile-terminal device that can be connected to the internet via a network. The mobile-terminal device is arranged with the aid of an internet browser for selecting alternatives on a website. By entering of a user identifier, such as a telephone number or subscriber data, in the website the user will be identified to receive a short message SMS to indicate the selection made by the user. The booking will be confirmed by a reply message. The making of a mobile booking requires only a mobile terminal device on the user's part, without special password cards or similar. By combining the use of SMS and the websites, mobile booking and maintenance of alternatives can be easily performed.

Description

SYSTEM FOR MOBILE BOOKING

The present invention relates to a system for mobile booking, which system includes a server.

Mobile payment in public transport refers to ticket or service ordering, paying, and showing the ticket during ticket inspection using a portable mobile-terminal device, such as a mobile telephone, a smart phone, or a tablet computer. Various methods are known in mobile payment in public transport, such as t e x t - me s s a g e , i.e. SMS tickets, and smart phone applications. These use as ways of payment, for example credit or bank cards, telephone bills, or accounts to be opened by the service customer. Once the service is opened, the customer's account then permits debiting the customer's credit or bank card, or subsequent billing.

Various demands are made on mobile payment in public transport. The ordering of a ticket or service must be easy and quick. The inspection of the ticket should also be easy. The forging of tickets must be prevented. Transaction costs should be minimized.

There are various ways to inspect a ticket purchased by mobile booking, i.e. a mobile ticket. A typical way is to read the identifier information of the mobile ticket in text form from the display of the customer's mobile-terminal device. Another way is to read the identifier information mechanically from the display of the customer's mobile-terminal device, when the identifier information is typically presented as a 2D barcode or as text. NFC technology permits the ticket information to be read wirelessly.

Known mobile tickets in public transport are typically divided into simple SMS tickets, complex SMS tickets, and mobile tickets of smart-phone applications. In simple SMS tickets, the user sends a simple, standardized message as an SMS message to the service's telephone number. The user receives an SMS return message sent by the system, which acts as a mobile ticket and with a message content that gives the mobile ticket's identifier and validity information. In a simple SMS ticket, different users send an SMS message with the same content, i.e. an ordering message, to the service's telephone number. The content of the ordering number is not individual, so that it does not individuate the public-transport line, departure, or otherwise the order in greater detail. Simple SMS tickets are typically used in city transport, in which there is no seat reservation, and in which the same ticket can be used to make an unlimited number of trips on different forms of transport during the period of validity of the ticket. Advantages of the simple SMS ticket are the simplicity and standard form of the ordering message. The ordering message can be typically only two characters long or a simple word like ΤΙ0ΚΕΤ' . A drawback with a simple SMS ticket is that it is not suitable for use with seat-reservation, capacity-management, or demand-based pricing. One example of the operation of an SMS ticket is shown on the following website of the Belgian public-transport company De Lijn: http : //www . youtube . com/watch?v=f09quSpOtNc

Another example of an SMS ticket is shown on the website of Helsinki Regional Transport (HSL) at the address: http : / /www .hsl.fi/FI/liputj ahinnat/kertaj avuorokausiliput/Siv ut/kannykkalippu . aspx

The SMS ticket service user is guided with the following short message: ^λ Send the text message Al to the number 16355. The ordering code can be written with or without a space. You will receive as a return message a single ticket, which is valid for one hour from the moment of purchase . The message shows the validity times and area of the ticket, an identifier number, and the sender number. ' In a complex SMS ticket, the user sends a complex message with individuated content as an SMS message to the service's telephone number. The user receives an SMS return message sent by the system, which acts as a ticket and the ticket's identifier and validity information appear in the message content. The ordering message contains a great deal of information and is individuated. On the basis of the ordering message containing a complex, individuated order, the system is able, for example, to make a reservation in a seat-reservation system, so that a complex SMS ticket would be technically suitable for use with seat-reservation, capacity-management, or demand-based pricing.

A complex SMS ticket has the drawback of poor usability. The user must write an ordering message with a complex content in the correct syntax. The user must also obtain the information to be fed, for example from an internet service. Usability is further exacerbated by the fact that the complexity of the ordering message makes its individual content difficult to remember, so that the user must jump between the ordering- message-content internet service and the text-message writing application, for example using a memo slip. The chance of error also increase substantially as the complexity of the message increases.

An example of a complex SMS ticket can be seen on the website of Helsinki Regional Transport (HSL) at the address: http : //hsl . fi/FI /liputj ahinnat /kertaj avuorokausiliput/Sivut /k annykkalippu . aspx

In the case of a complex SMS ticket, the user can also order additional value for a mobile ticket, instructions for the ordering of which are as follows:

The period of validity of a ticket with additional value begins at the time selected by you. The ticket is ordered by sending a text message Al (space) hhmm to the number 16355. Example order: Al 1300

The time should be written together, first hours then minutes. The hours will be interpreted correctly, if they are between 00-23 and the minutes between 00-59. An exception is midnight , which is interpreted correctly with both the characters 0000 and 2400. '

If the time given in the ordering message is written wrongly (it consists, for example, of only three numbers, etc.), the customer will receive a guidance message as a short message: ' Erroneous order. Make a prior ticket order in the form: Al hhmm hh=hours (00-23) and mm=minutes (00-59).'

If the entire ticket order is written wrongly (Al or AS1 is not found at the start of the order), then a normal guidance message for ordering a ticket will be sent to the customer. A mobile ticket with additional value is an operator-specific property. If the operator does not support this property, the customer will then be sent a notification message: ticket cannot be ordered beforehand with the subscription you are using' . The ordering of a ticket with additional value can be regarded as a complex SMS ticket, because in it the user must enter various data case-specifically.

Due to the problems of simple SMS tickets and complex SMS tickets in public-transport services, in which there are seat- reservation, capacity-management, or variable-pricing properties, smart-phone applications are used instead of SMS tickets. The application is linked over an internet connection to the sales system. The applications show the user the sales system's tickets, departures, and fares in a mobile service with good usability. The user can buy a mobile ticket with a few clicks in the application. The user has already entered their credit or bank-card information in the user settings of the application, so an order made using the application is charged to the user with the aid of these payment methods. An application has the advantages of a diversity of payment methods and the utilization of the native properties of the mobile device, for example in usability and positioning.

The main problem with an application is that each operating system requires its own application. At present, there are three dominant operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows Phone) . Another problem is that downloading the application from the application store of the owner of the operating system may be subject to payment. A third problem is that, to use the service, the user must at least download the application and often also pay for it. An example of such an application is shown in the video at the following internet address: http : //www . arrivabus . co . uk/m-ticket/arriva-m-ticketing-on-your- iphone.aspx (public-transport company Arriva) .

The invention is intended to create a simpler system than solutions of the prior art for mobile booking, which system can be also be used when making mobile bookings with seat- reservation, capacity-management, or demand-based pricing. The characteristic features of this invention are stated in the accompanying Claim 1.

This intention can be achieved by means of the system for mobile booking according to the invention, in which the system includes a server arranged to distribute, through an internet network forming a first channel, a selection website for example in HTML5 form, in which the selection website has data means for entering an identifier individuating the user. In addition, the service is arranged to receive the selection made by the user on the selection website, to receive the individuating identifier, such as a GMS telephone number, given by the user to the said data means, and to send, on the basis of the identifier, a confirmation query to the user through a second channel, as a message such as a short message (SMS) consisting of the individuating data of the selection. Further, the server is arranged to receive the user' s confirmation as a message such as a short message (SMS) and to record the mobile booking as performed. By means of such a server, it is possible to perform mobile booking simply and easily, as payment can be implemented through the teleoperator without separate identification of the user, for example through bank identifiers. In addition, the selection website can be a website read with an ordinary internet browser, which does not demand the installation of particular applications. In this connection, the first channel can be the internet and the second channel can be a radio-network SMS channel, an operator- based data message independent of the internet, or in general a second channel independent of the first channel .

In other words, the invention can be described as the following stages:

1. The user examines the range of products and prices in a user-friendly environment, such as an HTML5 webstore.

2. The user selects a product in a user-friendly environment, such as an HTML5 webstore.

3. The user gives an identifier individuating their customership in a user-friendly environment, such as an HTML5 webstore.

4. The system makes a temporary booking and sends a notification message to the customership using a second channel.

5. The user gives a confirmation message through the customershi .

6. The system receives a confirmation message from the customership .

7. The system changes the temporary booking to become permanent and sends a booking confirmation to the customership.

So that a payment can be charged and the product delivered, the system should receive a confirmation message from the customership. The identifier individuating customership and the confirmation message do not contain parameters defining products or prices, so that the syntax of the messages is simple and standard. The customership can be, for example, a telephone subscription, an electronic wallet, or a customer- loyalty programme account. The customership contains contacts information and an agreement as to the manner of billing. The customership provider takes care of billing from the customer. The customership provider can be, for example, a teleoperator, an electronics-wallet provider, or a company' s own customer- loyalty system.

The main idea of the invention can also be summarized as requiring only two messages in the system, the first of which is an identifier individuating customership and the second is a confirmation message. Both of these are extremely simple and standard-form messages, which can be implemented without parameters defining a product or price. In the invention, customership is an essential concept. It can be a telephone subscription or an electronic wallet. Or a company's own customer-loyalty system, in which the customer has an account. If the customership is a telephone subscription, the customership provider is the teleoperator.

The system preferably includes a mobi le- terminal device that can be connected to the internet network of the chosen teleoperator to perform the user's mobile booking, which mobi le - terminal device is arranged for browsing selection alternatives on the selection website with the aid of an internet browser, the selection of an alternative with the aid of the internet browser, and the entering of a user identifier, such as a telephone number, in the selection website. Further, the mobi le-terminal device is arranged to identify the user with the aid of the teleoperator' s subscriber data, to receive a short message (SMS) to indicate the selection made with the internet browser, and to confirm the booking with the aid of a reply message. By combining the use of short messages and the use of websites with the making a mobile booking, the browsing and maintenance of alternatives can be easily performed using a common internet browser and the actual booking can, in turn, be easily made with the aid of a mobile-terminal device. Thus, the making of a mobile booking requires only a mobile terminal device on the user's part, without special password cards or similar .

According to one embodiment, the internet browser is in the mobile-terminal device. Thus, the user can perform the entire mobile booking using only a mobile-terminal device.

According to another embodiment, the internet browser is in a computer. The mobile-terminal device can then be a traditional mobile telephone equipped with only a s h o r t - me s s a ge functionality, which does not have an internet browser.

The server is preferably arranged to send the mobile booking to the teleoperator , to make the payment for the mobile booking through the teleoperator. Thus billing can be performed without special registration in the system of the service provider or possibly having to give credit-card data.

The server is preferably arranged to send payment-class information to the teleoperator in order to make payment for the mobile booking through the teleoperator. There is a limited number of payment classes, as each leads to costs for the service provider. The mobile ticket prices can be rounded off to the nearest payment class. The identifier individuating the user can be the telephone number of the telephone subscription of the mobile- terminal device. With the aid of the telephone number, the user can be identified for billing and for sending the booking message as a short message. The selection website can comprise selection alternatives, which selection alternatives comprise publ ic-transport route information for selecting a desired transport service, such as a bus journey, for a selected route and at a selected time. It is simple and quick to make selections with the aid of an internet browser.

According to one embodiment, the system includes a mobile- terminal device for making and confirming a booking with the aid of a short message, a server for maintaining the booking database arranged to receive a short message sent by the mobile-terminal device, and to send a confirmation message as a short message to the mobile-terminal device, as well as a mobile-telephone network, to which the mobile-terminal device and the server are connected through the teleoper at or . In addition, the system further includes a website maintained by the server for browsing and selecting boo king - s e 1 e c t i on alternatives with the aid of an internet browser. In the system, the server is arranged to distribute the alternatives website to the internet browser over the internet, for example in HTML5 form, to receive selections made with the internet browser on the selection website, and to receive an identifier, such as a GSM telephone number, individuating the user. Further, the server is arranged to send a conformation - query to the mobile-terminal device as a short message (SMS) to the user on the basis of the identifier, comprising data indi iduating the selection, and to receive the user's confirmation as a short message (SMS), and to record the mobile booking as having been made. In the system, the mobile- terminal device is arranged to receive the short message (SMS) sent by the server in order to indicate the selection made using the internet browser, to confirm the booking as a short message with the aid of a reply message to the server, and to receive the booking- confirmation identifier sent by the server as a short message. According to one embodiment, the mobile-terminal device is linked to the teleoperator through a WLAN connection maintained by a WLAN network station. The system that is the object of the invention combines the individuation that is typical of a complex SMS ticket, with a booking containing a great deal of information, and a simple and standardized, i.e. non- individuated booking message, typical of a simple SMS ticket.

According to a second embodiment, payment is made with the aid of an electronic payment account, the means implementing which payment account being arranged in the terminal device. This is an alternative form of implementation for SMS use.

According to a third embodiment, there are means in the terminal device for making payment with the aid of a pre- identification payment service. This is also an alternative to the use of SMS short-messages and an electronic payment service.

In the case of SMS tickets according to the prior art, i.e. simple and complex SMS tickets, the entire ordering process takes place in the SMS message program of the mobile-terminal device. The ordering message is written in the SMS message program of the mobile-terminal device.

According to a preferred embodiment, in the system that is the object of the invention, an individuated mobile booking containing a great deal of information is made on the selection website to the telephone number that the user enters on a form on the selection website. The telephone number is the only compulsory information entered on the selection website. The system sends an SMS notification message to the telephone number that has been given, which the user responds to with a short SMS booking message. The short booking message is the only compulsory information entered by the user in the SMS message program of the mobile terminal device. In the entire process, the user has only to write two compulsory entries, of which one is an identifier to be entered on the selection website, for example a telephone number, and the second is a short booking command to be entered in the mobile-terminal device. The user need not enter the telephone number of the service, because the system sends a notification message, which the user replies to, from the telephone number of the service.

According to one preferred embodiment, the selection and booking of a departure on the selection website takes place in the following stages: Al) The user examines the departures and fares offered on the selection website in the internet network,

A2) The user selects the departure they want,

A3) The user enters their telephone number on the form on the selection website,

Bl) The system checks the correctness of the telephone number and, if necessary, rewrites the number by adding the missing country code,

B2 ) The system makes a booking to the telephone number stated on the form on the selection website,

B3) The system sends an SMS notification message to the telephone number stated on the form on the selection website,

B4) The systems waits for a booking for a set time (e.g., 15 min . ) ,

Confirmation of the booking, i.e. ordering using the SMS application of the mobile-terminal device CI) The user receives an SMS notification message sent by the system, which contains instructions concerning the contents of the ordering message,

C2) The user replies to the notification message with a short SMS message, the contents of which are as instructed in the notification message,

Dl) The system receives the SMS booking message sent by the user,

D2) The system checks whether the booking has come from a telephone number, which was linked to some booking within the set time,

D3) If the telephone number has been linked to some booking in the system, the system checks from outside the system, whether a payment according to the booking can be paid by the telephone subscription in question,

D4) If the telephone subscription is authorized to make the payment according to the booking, the system sends a booking confirmation to the telephone number of the user, which also acts as a ticket for the journey, i.e. as a mobile ticket,

D5) The system converts the booking into a sold ticket,

Ticket inspection

El) The user receives the booking confirmation sent by the system, which contains the identifier and validity data of the ticket and acts at the same time as a ticket for the journey,

E2) The user shows the identifier data of the ticket to the inspector during ticket inspection in connection with the j ourney .

Fl) The ticket inspector, typically the bus driver, compares the identifier data shown by the user with the identifier data of the tickets sold for departure in question. The SMS booking message sent by the user is an SMS message subject to payment, which is the method of payment for the mobile ticket that is the object of the invention. The system according to the invention is extremely simple and reliable. From the user's point of view, the actions required for making a booking are easy to perform and the entire booking can be performed, for example, using a smart phone. In the following, the invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing some embodiments of the invention, in which

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the equipment level of the system according to the invention,

Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the various stages of the use of the system according to the invention.

The figures show the operation of the system schematically. More specifically, in the system, the making of a mobile booking includes the following stages: 1) booking, 2) notification, 3) ordering, 4) order confirmation.

Figure 1 shows the system according to the invention, shown on an equipment level. The system 10 includes the service provider's server 18, which is in turn connected to the internet network 14, and preferably the user's mobile-terminal device 12, which is connected to the mobile-telephone network 24 provided by the teleoperator 22. Further, the system preferably includes the teleoperato ' s 22 SMS centre 20, which manages the flow of short messages. The user has preferably an internet browser in the mobile-terminal device 12, by means of which the user can use the internet network 14. The server 18 comprises a selection website 30 for offering the products or services sold by the service provider to the user over the internet network. The server 18 can be managed through a workstation 32, which can be an ordinary computer . The internet browser used by the user can preferably be the browser in the mobile-terminal device, but it can also be equally well in some other terminal device equipped with an internet network connection, such as, for example, in a computer. In a preferred embodiment, the mobile-terminal device is a smart phone, which is in the internet network or can be connected to it, which contains a general internet browser, such as Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer, or similar. The system according to the invention can be used with all of the most usual operating systems, which have an internet browser with HTML5 support.

According to Figure 2, in the system the user's internet browser and mobile-terminal device interact with the service- provider's server, using the internet network. As has already been stated, the internet browser is preferably part of the mobile-terminal device, but it can also be, for example, an application in a computer. In the system according to the invention, the service provider maintains a selection website on its server, i.e. a website that comprises information on services or products that can be ordered. Hereinafter, when referring to the services and products, an example will be used, in which the service being offered is a bus departure priced according to demand. The selection website is preferably a browser-based website, which the user can use, for example, with an ordinary smart phone or a computer's internet browser. The service-provider's website can be, for example, in HTML5 form. The selection website is connected to the service provider's sales system's database (not shown in the figures), which maintains a register of temporary bookings made for specific bus departures, of tickets sold, and of unsold seats. The server maintains in the background the individual price of each mobile ticket on sale. The price of the next mobile ticket to be sold is picked from these to be shown in the selection website, rounded up to the next SMS price grade. Price-grade costs are incurred by the teleoperator , which must be covered by the service provider, and therefore there can be a limited number of price grades in the service.

The user can, for example using the internet browser of the their mobile-terminal device, browse the available bus departures between different locations at different times on the service provider's website. The selection website also shows the fares for the different departures, which are updated actively from the server's database, according to the reservation situation. Once they have found the bus departure they wish, the user clicks the 'reserve' button on the selection website, when the server sends the selection website a new window requesting the user's identifier. The user's identifier is preferably the telephone number of the user' s mobile-telephone subscription, but it can also be a user identifier obtained through registration, a social-security number, or some other similar identifier, which can be confirmed from the teleoperator on the basis of the mobile- telephone subscription. In other words, when the user selects the bus departure they wish, a temporary booking event, which includes the identifier number of the selected bus departure and the serial number of the seat reserved on it, as characteristic information, is recorded in the server' s booking database. The user's telephone number can also be attached to the temporary booking, if the user has first of all entered it on the selection website.

According to an alternative embodiment, entering the identifier on the selection website can take place simultaneously in connection with the selection of a selection alternative, in which case an identifier query will not be displayed to the user on the selection website. According to one embodiment, the selection website can require registration in order to identify the user, which can reduce the possibility of misuse. When the user receives the identifier query, they respond to it by entering their identifier, for example their telephone number, on the selection website and clicking the 'send' button. At this stage, the service provider's server records the identifier through the selection website and the service provider's server makes a temporary booking in the booking database for the identifier in question. After this, the server sends a booking notification to the user as a short message (SMS) through the SMS centre, based, for example on the mobile- telephone number, which was used as an identifier, or based on a membership number. At the same time, the server notifies the teleoperator , in connection with each booking, of the price of the ticket in question. The teleoperator' s system takes care of sending short messages (SMS) to the telephone number notified by the user and prices the short message subject to payment sent by the user, according to the price set by the service provider's server. The service provider's server can utilize directly the service interface, for example at the address ww . unwire . com for sending and delivering short messages. There is a parameter field, in which the price of the booking is placed, in the interface of the Unwire service.

The user receives a booking-notification short message on their mobile-terminal device. The short message gives the user information on the bus departure they have temporarily booked and gives instructions on how to confirm the temporary booking, i.e. how to order a mobile-ticket. In other words, the price information is shown to the user in the short message sent by the server, as are the identifier data of the bus departure relating to the temporary booking. The ordering message can be, for example, a short message containing two letters, which is sent in response to the confirmation query. If the user wishes to confirm the temporary booking, they send an ordering message to the service provider's server as a short message. If, on the other hand, the user notices that they have booked the wrong bus departure, they can leave the confirmation query unanswered, in which case the temporary booking will expire after a preset time, for example of 15 minutes. The short message sent as an order also acts as partial or complete payment for the ticket, for which the service provider can bill the user through the teleoperator .

Once the user has sent the order message as a short message from their mobile- terminal device, the service provider's server receives the short message. At this stage, the service can once again check whether the order message in question has come from the same mobile-telephone subscription as that to which the booking-notification message was sent. If the telephone numbers are the same, the server checks from an external system, for example from the teleoperator, whether the payment in question can be performed using the mobile-telephone subscription in question. Some property, for example a balance limit, can be linked to the mobile-telephone subscription, which would prevent the use of such services. In some cases, a prepaid subscription can also be used, if this has sufficient rights for mobile payment. If this is the case, the server sends a cancellation notification to the user as a short message, stating that the booking cannot be performed due to the type of mobile- telephone subscription. If there are no obstacles to payment, the server confirms in its booking database the temporary booking in question as a sold mobile ticket and send the user a booking confirmation as a short message. The user receives on their mobile-terminal device the order-confirmation short message sent by the service provider' s server, which contains the identifier and validity data of the ticket. This order-confirmation short message also acts as the user's mobile ticket.

During the journey, the user shows the mobile ticket they have received., for example, to the driver of the bus departure, who checks the authenticity of the mobile ticket. The mobile ticket can comprise, for example, an individuated number or barcode identifier, or some other identifier generally known from the prior art, to confirm the authenticity of the ticket.

The system according to the invention can also be used for selling tickets, which are activated at a specific time chosen by the user. In that case, the user should send an activation message as a short message to the service provider's server, which updates the information of the booking to become active in the database. At the same time, the server can send the user as a short message an active order-confirmation message, which acts as a mobile ticket.

In one embodiment of the system according to the invention, mobile booking takes place from the customer's point of view as the following stages:

1. The customer downloads the pre - ident i f icat i on payment service provider' s (ETM) mobile application, .

2. The customer creates a customer account and a customer identifier (for example, a telephone number) to the ETM service in the mobile application, makes a small credit-card payment to register and to open a repeated credit-card payment customership with the ETM service,

3. The customer makes the purchase selections they wish in the webstore,

4. To pay, the customer gives their ETM identifier,

5. The ETM service provider sends to the identifier registered mobile application an acceptance request as a push notification (this corresponds to sending an SMS acceptance query to the customer and, from the customer' s point of view, the reception of a booking notification) ,

6. The customer opens, with the aid of the notification, the mobile application, in which they click the accept button (this corresponds to the sending of an SMS order message) ,

7. Payment is performed from the customer's pre-regis tered credit card, 8. The ETM service confirms the accepted payment transaction reliably to the owner of the webstore, and

9. The customer receives the purchases they have ordered.

This embodiment can be method of implementation parallel to a mobile-telephone subscription or electronic wallet. An electronic wallet can be a third embodiment of the system, which can be implemented, for example, with the aid of the APE payment application implemented by the Finnish company APE Payment Oy. The APE payment application is described on the website https : //ww . apepayment . com or in greater detail on the page https : //www . apepayment . com/ fag . The APE Payment payment application is based on identifier technology between a computer and browser cookies. The user is identified automatically without registration or entering user names and passwords. The data given in connection with registration is also not transferred or shown during the payment transaction. Payment using APE is as easy as normal browsing taking place with an internet browser. Payment for the content can be performed with single clicks without registration or other operations.

The system according to the invention can be used for the sale of various mobile tickers, such as, for example, concert tickets, travel tickets, and similar. In this connection, the term mobile-terminal device refers generally to telephones, mobile telephones, smart phones, tablets, and similar, with the aid of which it is possible to send and receive short messages. Preferably, the mobile-terminal device is a smart phone, which refers to a mobile telephone equipped with a network connection, an internet browser, and a s h o r t - me s s a ge functionality. The term a mobile-telephone network, in turn, refers preferably to 3G and 4G connections, but a GSM connection is also suitable for use in the system according to the invention. The term a short message refers, in this connection, preferably to SMS messages, but the message can also be a multi-media message, or some other comparable one-off operation, which can be billed from the user through the operator in connection with a telephone bill. Billing can also be performed in such a way that, in connection with expensive reservations (more than € 20), the user is only charged a maximum reservation sum through the operator and the user pays for the remainder of the trip, for example by bank card during ticket inspection. In this connection, the server can be any computer whatever, the properties of which are sufficient for conventional server operation.

The system according to the invention can also be operated with the aid of a WLAN connection, in which case the mobile-terminal device can be connected to the teleoperator over a WLAN link maintained by a WLAN network station.

A great deal of payment technology suitable for smart phones is known. The publications WO 2013 / 045743 A2 (Onsun Oy) , WO2012/042262 (Barclay Bank), US 2007244732 Al (Barhyrdt) , and WO 9732439 A2 (Nokia) disclose comprehensively electronic- wallet and other mobile-payment techniques.

Claims

1. System for mobile booking, in which the system (10) includes a server (18) arranged to

- distribute a selection website (30) through an internet network (14) forming a first channel, for example in HTML5 form, in which the selection website (30) has data means for entering an identifier individuating the user,

receive a selection made by the user on the selection website (30 ) ,

receive the identifier, such as a GSM telephone number, given by the user to the said data means,

send, on the basis of the identifier, to the user a confirmation query, through a second channel, as a message, such as a short message (SMS) , comprising data individuating the selection, and

receive the user's confirmation as a message, such as a short message (SMS) , and

record the mobile booking as having been performed.

2. System according to Claim 1, character! zed in that the system (10) includes a mobile-terminal device (12), which can be connected to the internet network (14) of a chosen teleoperator (22), for performing the user's mobile booking, which mobile-terminal device (12) is arranged to

browse the selection alternatives of the selection website (.30) with the aid of an internet browser (16),

select an alternative with the aid of the internet browser

(16) ,

- enter a user identifier, such as a telephone number, in the said selection website (30),

identify the user with the aid of the subscriber data of the teleoperator,

receive a message, such as a short message (SMS) , to indicate the selection made with the internet browser, and confirm the booking with the aid of a reply message.

3. System according to Claim 2, characterized in that the said internet browser (16) is in the mobile-terminal device (12).

4. System according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said internet browser (16) is in a computer.

5. System according to any of Claims 1 - 4, characterized in that the server (18) is arranged to send the mobile booking to the teleoperator (22), in order pay for the mobile booking through the teleoperator (22),

6. System according to any of Claims 1 - 5, characterized in that the server (18) is arranged to send payment-class information to the teleoperator (22) in order to pay for the mobile booking through the teleoperator (22).

7. System according to any of Claims 1 - 6, characterized in that the identifier individuating the user is the telephone number of the telephone subscription of the mobile-terminal device ( 12 ) .

8. System according to any of Claims 1 - 7, character! zed in that the said selection website (30) comprises selection alternatives, which selection alternatives comprise public- transport route data for selecting a desired trip, such as a bus journey on a selected route and at a selected time.

9. System according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that payment is made with the aid of an electronic payment account, the means implementing which payment account are arranged in the mobile-terminal device (12).

10. System according to Claim 1 or 2, character! zed in that there are means in the terminal device (12) for making payment with the aid of a pre-identification payment service.